The Hoosiers just weren’t hitting them against UMBC’s zone, as they only made 2-of-14 from 3-point range. Still, they were able to carry a 16-point lead into halftime by scoring 24 of their 37 points off UMBC turnovers. And by the time the second half rolled around, Indiana found its 3-ball stride and never looked back. They hit 9-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half. Christian Watford went off — he shot 7-of-8 in the second half and ended the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Matt Roth (4-of-5 from 3-point range) scored a season-high 14 points. It all resulted in another blowout victory after UMBC was able to cut the lead to 10 early in the second half.

But as Indiana now heads into conference play at 12-0, there’s some concern. Will Sheehey, who’s been a strong sixth man for the Hoosiers, watched the game on the bench. He’s on crutches. Derek Elston took in the action with sweats on. He’s got tape on a broken nose. And Verdell Jones went down with what looked like a hip injury near the end of the first half, and he never returned to action or the bench after halftime.

Indiana faced and passed tests against the likes of Butler, NC State, Kentucky and Notre Dame.

And now it looks as if a new one has emerged: keeping their winning ways afloat amidst a sea of injuries.

Elston shouldn’t be out long. And Tom Crean said after tonight’s game that both Sheehey and Jones are day to day. But if they’re unable to go next week, Crean may be using a lot more Roth, Remy Abell and Austin Etherington in his rotation as Big Ten season approaches next week. That’s a 3-point specialist and two freshman.

This isn’t to say the Hoosiers can’t still put up strong battles against Michigan State and Ohio State without them. But it is to say if Jones and Sheehey — two of Indiana’s top six rotation players — aren’t able to play against either of them, things do get harder for this team.

ONE PARTING THOUGHT

I usually don’t comment on the play-by-play or color broadcasters. But I must admit: Perry Clark really did it for me this evening on the color call. He described Tom Crean’s offensive and defensive sets in greater detail than anyone else this season and overall was just a real knowledgeable dude who didn’t have any gimmicks. And this was on an ESPN3/Watch ESPN broadcast, no less.

I think people don’t give Remy the credit he deserves. He hardly gets to play and when he does he is nervous. Once he gets the mentality he needs to step up he could be a very good player. The guy is an excellent defensive player and he has shown that he can get to the rim and get fouled. By the end of the year he is going to be cutting into VJ’s minutes.

JohnFromBeyond

I agree with oldguyy and hoosieres. As an IU student during the 80’s, I don’t recall any criticism coming from IU fans. We figured if a future hall of fame coach made any mistakes, that was as good as you could get, so nothing to complain about.

I think the most vocal critics today would feel lots better if he reconciled with IU and made an appearance. That seems to have ticked off alot of fans.

Anonymous

He decommitted after moving to B-town for high school. Didn’t want to be part of the rebuilding years. Committed to UCLA, then finally landed at BYU.

Anonymous

I think it’s also worth noting that Knight didn’t coach here during the 24/7 cycle of news. Blogs like this didn’t exist as a forum for fans to speak their mind anonymously. Who knows, maybe the Neil Reed incident would have been tweeted out a lot sooner. Brand couldn’t have let him stay on under such media scrutiny in today’s digital world.

Faubert

Assuming you meant the ’02 season, this corresponds with what I’ve heard. This is second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt, but a guy I know is friends with a player that played for Knight & Davis. According to him, Treolar was the brain behind 2002 team.

Faubert

Assuming you meant the ’02 season, this corresponds with what I’ve heard. This is second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt, but a guy I know is friends with a player that played for Knight & Davis. According to him, Treolar was the brain behind 2002 team.

Faubert

I remember quite a few message board criticisms of Knight in the mid/late 90s. Most of them would focus on behavior, player defections, or perceived sub-par recruiting. I think the Recker transfer was a tipping point for some who would have previously considered Knight untouchable. IIRC, his in-game coaching was mostly given a pass. Overall, though, I think the majority were content to have Knight stay at IU for the duration of his career.

And if you think people give Crean a hard time, you should’ve been around for the Davis years! (Not that he didn’t deserve a lot of it.)

I only worry about Remy’s driving to the rim b/c he tucks the ball into his gut like a tailback and charges ahead — damn the consequences. Remy is gonna get called for more charging fouls if he keeps driving into traffic hell bent for election. Love the kid, just want him to learn the finer points of body control, unless he puts on about 30lbs of more muscle.

Now, with Elston (and his goalie mask) i think that mentality can be an advantage: the opposing team will foolishly take the charge the first time, but I’m not convinced they’d take a 2nd helping of that.

Danner Perea

he got a standing ovation at the Hall. What was the technical about after Cody’s dunk anyway? UMBCs coach got T’d up while we were all high-fiving…had no idea what happened.

Anonymous

Here’s a really good breakdown of Indiana’s team defense from Grantland:

You’re hilarious man. You should try your hand at stand up comedy. You are way funnier than Carrot Top, minus the props of course

Anonymous

Wow. You would think if a guy is a big enough fan to listen to the “post game presser” that he might actually watch the games. Remy didn’t play against the Cats smart guy

N71

I was there in ’87 as well, met coach Knight a couple times, he even had me come into his office while he signed a couple photos I gave to family members for Christmas one year. As a 19 year old that meant alot to me. My curiousity today though is this:

Does he still hold a grudge?

If yes, why? I’m not saying its unfounded, I would just like to understand it to see if it can be overcome. If it was/is a few people in the “administration” that are still there, I get that. Who are these people, and are they due to retire anytime soon? Is it something else. He got fired by people that may or may not be there anymore. The larger university and state community did not fire him so there should be a different relationship there in his head.

Coach made mistakes but who doesn’t. The majority of his mistake types were in alignment with what he was trying to do with regards to building a team, instilling hardness, etc…unlike what happened at PSU. I’m not saying what he did was ok but I at least understand it. The PSU thing I don’t understand.

While I am so excited for where we are today and where we are headed there’s a chapter in the book that is missing. Coach Knight needs to come back home. I miss him, not his record or banners…him.

Merry Christmas.

Ken Miller

IU ranked #1 in the polls? Is it a possiblility? It should be! What if-a big-what if Indiana defeats a ranked and vastly improving Michigan State team on Wednesday night? Would that mean that Indiana would potentially be playing for the number #1 ranking in the country if they defeated the Buckeyes in Bloomington with the Buckeye’s currently being ranked number #2 in the country? That would put them at 14-0 with the win over then number #1 Kentucky in the bank also. Is this likely? Probably not, but it is so much fun to even contemplate these possiblities. Then if IU beats a ranked Michigan team, they should be the unanimous number one…….Oh, how I love the Hoosiers giving us hope again.

The_Real_Assembly_Hall

C’mon Dick Pepper! I was just kidding around with you. Not taking a shot at you. I was talking about how my phone likes to add in words too if I don’t pay attention when I post. Don’t take it personally because it wasn’t personal. Next time my post gets messed up I give you permission to take your best shot. No hard feelings. Merry Christmas to you and your family brother. GO IU!

Anonymous

“If ..”ifs and butts were candy and nuts..we’d all have a Merry Christmas.” With a healthy team..all things are possible playing their best. With the injuries..tough sledding on a snowy night in Michigan.

Anonymous

“If ..”ifs and butts were candy and nuts..we’d all have a Merry Christmas.” With a healthy team..all things are possible playing their best. With the injuries..tough sledding on a snowy night in Michigan.

Anonymous

good breakdown. Defense always gets overlooked. I think it is the one thing a team can control. It leads to run outs and easy baskets. The depth and conditioning enable them to play better help and overall defense. The depth will get a challenge here soon, I hope the injuries are not serious but this will show everyone what the team is truly made of. I think they step up and make it happen.

stonaroni

12-0, very good area in which we sit right now, especially since we have seen 3 injuries (relatively minor) stack up the last few days.

Thoughts going forward…..

I am not going to sit here now and act like IU is all the way back. Yes we are good and better than expected. I thought the Hoosiers would win 22 games this year and they have a real chance to increase that number. But, there is something that this team is going to have to improve on right now if we plan to win 10 or 11 games in the Big 10.

REBOUNDING!

I love Cody and he brings so much to this team with a game and presence we have not had in a long time which makes everyone around him better. The one aspect of his game that is bothering me is his rebounding. he played 26 minutes the other night and had 6 rebounds against one of the smallest teams we will play this year. He gives a great effort on the floor but he is losing position too easily and when we face big strong posts in the conference, he will have to improve significantly to keep his rebound average above 7 per game.

I say this because our perimeter guard defense is very weak especially with Hulls and VJIII. We need Cody, DE, TP and CW to committ to weak side D and own the glass by boxing out. Once we face better guard play we will see more penetration like teague showed from UK and that could cause serious issues.

Our reboubding will be pivotal in every possession to limit the opponent to 1 shot because I think we have an efficient enough offense to grind out victories.

BEAT KENTUCKY

Alex ,can we get an injury update ?

Bleeding Crimson

Sorry, Wording was confusing. He would let his asst. take over the major coaching roles not Davis in general. Davis didn’t come in until I think 97 or so.

Bleeding Crimson

I noticed that as well. I’m surious if we slip alittle will we still see the love that we are starting to get?

Bleeding Crimson

I noticed that as well. I’m surious if we slip alittle will we still see the love that we are starting to get?

Bleeding Crimson

Who had the record before and how many? I remember Pat Graham at one time had a shoting record I thought from the FT?

Bleeding Crimson

Great post Hoosier 89. To everyone else out there…I’m pretty much just an ITH’er and don’t get time to research other sites so it’s nice to get additional, other perspectives, etc so keep’em coming…no fense Alex, this is another reason why we love this site. I’ve turned so many people onto this site it’s hard to count.
I also agree there are probably several reasons for our success this year. I wonder if they could be listed in order from top to bottom:
1. Zeller
2. Toughness of these kids from what they have been through the last three years.
3&4 tie. Defense and shooting% increase. Deadly inside and out.
4. Team chemistry has finally arrived. I’ve never seen so much unselfishness these past two games EVER. I know they were below par but still.
5. Improvement in Vic & Sheehey.
6. Depth of bench
and not to forget our Great Coach Tom “the Crean in my jeans” …..the famous “I just Tom Crean on myself”.
Any thoughts?

Bleeding Crimson

Have to agree with SCHoosier, before the injuries I would have gave us over 75% chance of going 3-0 but now with Jones and Sheehey will probably miss MSt and Jones could be back for OhSt but neither will be 100% so minutes will be limited but I think Elston can pick up for Sheehey and Remy can pick up for Jones and with Roth shooting lights outs anything is STILL possibly. But I really believe we will go 1-2 for the next three. I would have still hoped for that anyway at the beginning of the season so we are still better off regardless due to where we stand. I was just hoping to move up in the polls and lead the B1G.

Bleeding Crimson

I think that also plays on our D. Those teams shot more 3 three than most others because no inside play and those are usually long rebounds. I think we out rebounded both of those teams. But I do agree, if there is one area that needs improvement it is definately our Rebounding. After 10 games we are:
Off Reb – IU 112 vs oppnts 128
Def Reb – IU 245 vs oppnts 203
Total Reb – IU 357 = 35.7 vs Oppnts 351 = 33.1
We are still better but can have great improvement, this will put us over the top.

IUJeff

Patience. Patience. That’s talk is for next year about this time.

But since you brought it up, someone please tell me who is better on paper than IU next year?

We trade:

Roth, Barnett, Jones, Moore, Pritchard

for:

Yogi, Hanner, Buss, Jeremy, and Peter, and a healthy Mo

Gwr4560

we will be wearing sunglasses next december

Gwr4560

we will be wearing sunglasses next december

MillaRed

I stumbled across the stats for the 2002 Final Four Hoosiers and they looked a little familiar. Check out the comparisons:

In no way am I saying this is a Final Four team. But there are similarities IMO other than the stats. The 2001-2002 team was not expected to go as far as it did. Exceeding expectations etc much like this year’s squad. Both more of a 3 guard lineup without a true center.

Anyway, thought it was interesting. Happy holidays ITH’ers.

Anonymous

My wish to Santa is to play Matt Roth as much as possible. It makes sense on so many levels. I could even see him starting. He would solve so many problems.

JohnFromBeyond

Nice comparison. In fairness, this year’s stats have been accumulated before B1G season. Time will tell if we can keep up the success and make a run in the post season.

Brklynhoosier

I was there when Jason Collier left (RIP) — ppl were on him then for not being able to hold onto a player as gifted — esp cuz word was Collier left because he couldn’t handle Knight’s demeanor in practice. The recruiting was an issue, too — at least until that class w/ JJ and Moye, Andre Owens — a class which he never actually got to coach, obv. But look — when you’ve produced 3 banners and a perfect season, ppl tend to give you some leeway. Which, in retrospect, was prob for the worst — brilliant coach. Flawed man.

Derbus

just livin the truth Matt k, some people need their bubble burst regardless . . .

Derbus

just livin the truth Matt k, some people need their bubble burst regardless . . .

Maybe Derbus is an 82 year old lady setting a younger fan straight??? Keep up the posting Mwilson!!!!!!!!!!

ufo3

Ho! Ho! 12-0
Merry Christmas!

ufo3

I would take Sheehey back over Jones if we had to choose.
Better defense, better energy, brings more to the table on both ends of the floor. Play Remy, Roth, and Austin Etherington.

BEAT KENTUCKY

Merry Christmas Alex , ITH , Coach ,our team , and all HOOSIERS around the globe . This year’s a good one . Now let’s go for the New Year part !

Don

A little different. But I had a 2002 Final Four Sweatshirt “So this is what it feels like to be great” that was stolen at the YMCA in Bloomington. Anyone know where I can get another hooded sweatshirt?

John

I for one often found a few things to be desired in Knight’s in-game coaching. For ex, I recall an NCAA tourney loss when Jan Van Breda Koff (sp?) — San Diego State? — totally out-coached Knight. They used a box-and-one on AJ Guyton and IU never could figure it out, losing by over 20 points while Guyton, who averaged 20 ppg that year, scored only 2 or 4 points. I never could understand how such a great coach could get outcoached like that. Saw a few other times too. On the other hand, Coach Knight did a few brilliant in-game things, like when he decided to shut down Glenn Robinson by deploying a 1-3-1 defense with 6’9″ Alan Henderson at the top. But the greatest was when he had the Hoosiers run with UNLV to beat them in 1987 NCAA tourney … recognizing that UNLV scored most of their points off of forcing turnovers with their pressure D, so let’s play hurry-up offense to get good shots before they can set their defense up. No one, I mean no one, ever expected that. And it worked, and IU went on to win it all….

John

I surprised somebody a month ago by saying that none of those frosh next year are going to start. I still believe that. Ferrell won’t beat out Hulls, Holloway can’t beat out Sheehey, Patterson can’t beat out Oladipo and Perea is stuck behind Watford. It will be ne of the deepest college teams in a long time, but Crean will have his work cut out in keeping everybody happy with playing time. In p;rinciple, they should have a 13-man rotation of Hulls, Ferrell, Abell, Patterson, Creek, Oladipo, Sheehey, Holloway, Etherington, Watford, Perea, Elston, Zeller. But you can’t play 13 guys every game. Should be interesting. And then, will Jurkin go to prep school? He would benefit more from playing against Zeller every day in practice, but I don’t think you can have 14 guys on scholarship ….